Vision Therapy
Gemma has been passionate about children's vision for many years. She has now extended that passion further to include behavioural optometry and is now proud to offer vision therapy to patients of all ages. As a mum of two young kids herself, Gemma offers a very child friendly environment to help put little minds ease.
Vision Therapy for binocular eye co-ordination
For optimal clear, comfortable vision the two eyes should work together as a team. But this is not always the case, with the eyes often wanting to turn inwards too much (over converge) or turn outwards (diverge). Quite often the eyes will over or under focus as well.
Then there are more significant conditions such as strabismus (where one eye turns separately to the other) and amblyopia (where one eye doesn't see as well as the other). These conditions are collectively known as binocular dysfunction, and can be very treatable with vision therapy. During Vision Therapy Gemma takes you (or your child) through a series of exercises over several weeks that teach you how to co-ordinate your eyes and get the most of your vision for everyday life.
Vision Therapy and Learning
There are lots of factors that come into play when we learn to read and write, and obviously vision plays an important in this process also. We use specialised eye movements when we read, which for the most of us are so automatic that we aren't even aware as we're doing it. Other aspects of vision are important when it comes to learning as well, such as visualisation, visual processing and visual spatial awareness. If there are issues with learning such as skipping words or lines, reversing letters, or even messy handwriting, vision therapy may help with this too. Gemma can do a series of specialised tests to determine whether vision therapy may be beneficial in cases of learning difficulties. In the event she recommends therapy then this programme is targeted towards teaching you (or your child) to use the eye movements specific to reading and learning, as well as learning to use other aspects of vision effectively.
How do I know if Vision Therapy is required?
Often someone like a paediatrician or a school teacher may recommend an assessment for a complete vision check. Gemma will do a thorough initial vision examination and discuss her recommendations and results with you. She may recommend a secondary visit for visual processing tests if there are learning issues, and this visit takes between 45 minutes to an hour. From there, if vision therapy is recommended, our experienced and friendly team guide you through the process.